ZOO MED REPTIBARK

I recently (2 months) started using zoo med repti bark in some of my hatchling enclosures to see how it would hold humidity and hold up with spot cleaning. 1 week in, I noticed little "bugs" running around on all of my animals.
At first I was horrified thinking I had a mite infestation but soon realized these tiny little bugs moved far too fast to be mites. I purchased all the bags of this stuff from the same store so...I decided to venture elsewhere and buy a bag of repti bark. The next bag had these tiny little bugs! Does anybody else have the same experience with this product and know what these creatures are?
jim macdonald aka pythonjim

Could they be springtails? See if they hop when you spray them with water or chase them.

If they ARE springtails, those are pretty harmless, and many people add them to naturalistic vivs deliberately. But springtails like really high moisture, so it would seem odd to find them in a bag of bark.

Are you certain they aren't some sort of mite? Not snake mites, of course, but there are MANY species of mites, most of which are harmless to the animals.
It does seem like they ought to be baking or otherwise taking steps to ensure that their bedding products don't contain insects, though--I wouldn't be impressed. You're not the first person to mention this issue.

Originally Posted by WingedWolf

Could they be springtails? See if they hop when you spray them with water or chase them.

If they ARE springtails, those are pretty harmless, and many people add them to naturalistic vivs deliberately. But springtails like really high moisture, so it would seem odd to find them in a bag of bark.

Are you certain they aren't some sort of mite? Not snake mites, of course, but there are MANY species of mites, most of which are harmless to the animals.
It does seem like they ought to be baking or otherwise taking steps to ensure that their bedding products don't contain insects, though--I wouldn't be impressed. You're not the first person to mention this issue.

I fully agree, they should be kiln drying or sterilizing this product. I have discontinued use and contacted zoo med via email. Let's see what they have to say. Thanks for the response, I will research it further.
jim macdonald aka questionerjim

Oh yeah, they dont hop or flee. They just run around nervously.

They are nasty nasty little bugs & will infest your house plants. All the repti bbark seems to have them.

I got the same problem with the coconut husk I use, but there like gnats :/ there small and fly. Are they harmful?

Tyler, those are probably fungus gnats; they're not harmful, but they are annoying and they can lay eggs in the substrate. Letting the substrate dry out a bit should help keep their numbers down.

Originally Posted by LauraB

Tyler, those are probably fungus gnats; they're not harmful, but they are annoying and they can lay eggs in the substrate. Letting the substrate dry out a bit should help keep their numbers down.

Bah. Darn gnats. I change the substrate a lot, but they keep commin back

I have used the Repti Bark in the past and I can say I have never had an issue. Then again I bake/sterilize the substrates before I put them in anyway. I've learned never to trust the packaging of anything.

I tried reptibark and it seemed to keep good humidity and I didn't have any bugs in it that I know of but I decided to go to aspen that I got off of LLL reptile for a whole lot cheaper. I like the aspen better, it seems cleaner and absorbs better than the reptibark which is good because i can spot clean and take any yellow aspen out and clean out the poop while only changing it about once a month or as needed.